Hello there,
It's Mandy here.
Thanks so much for joining me tonight.
Well,
That's my usual introduction to my tracks here on Insight Timer,
But tonight I want to leave you a personal message of thanks.
If you've been listening loyally for the entire year,
And I know many of you have,
Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
And if you've just recently discovered my tracks here on Insight Timer,
Thank you too.
It means the world to me to see the same names crop up again and again in the reviews section.
Insight Timer has two platforms,
As you know,
The free platform and the premium platform.
And I'm addressing this thank you particularly to my listeners on the free platform.
I know many of you listen to both.
Nearly all the stories or rambles or even books,
I'm thinking of Ted the Shed now,
That I've written myself,
As opposed to my narrations of classic books by other authors,
I choose to donate to the free platform.
That's because,
As you can probably imagine,
Insight Timer has a great many more listeners on the free platform than it does on premium.
And I always want my great words of wisdom,
Ha ha,
To reach as many people as possible.
I'm sure it's obvious,
But much as I love everything I narrate on Insight Timer,
The things I've written myself are nearer and dearer.
So I want to thank you if you've listened to any of these at all in the past year.
Ted the Shed is what I'm primarily thinking about,
My memoir about my dad and his allotment.
But there are also various rambles,
Such as Alone,
Awake,
Connected,
Things Are Different After Dark,
And An Afternoon at the Auction Room.
When these pieces prove popular,
Or when you comment favourably on them,
You can imagine how much it means to me.
So thank you,
Thank you,
Thank you,
Because you have,
Across the board,
Accepted my writings and often taken them to your heart.
I can't really describe how much that means,
As it would do to any writer.
It's really because of your encouragement that I've been inspired to write more rambles in different places.
I really wasn't at all sure when I posted my first one whether these would go down well or not.
Are they boring?
I wondered.
Are my little musings irritating?
I may be able to entertain myself with them,
But will other people find them dull or even incomprehensible?
The fact that you've responded so positively has mightily inspired me.
I'm writing more memoir-style pieces all the time,
Which I hope to share on the free platform ongoingly.
Of course,
I do tend to wait with bated breath when I post these pieces,
To see how they will go down with you.
I hope and pray that there aren't too many ratings of 4 and below,
As when those happen early on in a piece's life,
The piece can sink like a stone,
As people think it's bad and won't listen to it.
Luckily,
This rarely happens.
I'd also like to thank those of you who have donated to me this year.
It's something you're under no obligation to do,
So it always seems especially kindly.
The money itself is very welcome,
But I think the encouragement and the vote of confidence it represents is just as important.
So,
Loving listeners,
I hope you manage to have a good break over the festive period and to enjoy some time with others and some time to yourself.
I know it can actually be a difficult period if you've lost someone this year,
Or if perhaps you hate Christmas,
As some people do.
For people who live on their own,
It can be really tough.
But within whatever limitations you find yourself,
And taking on board and accepting things the way they are,
I wish you the best possible time you can have.
And don't forget that stories and literature are always there if you need some moments of escape.
I know I'll need them this festive season.
We read to know we are not alone,
The writer C.
S.
Lewis said.
He's the one who wrote the Narnia books and never a truer word was spoken.
A good story goes beneath the surface to remind us of our shared humanity and of the things that bring us together rather than divide us.
When I was a troubled teen,
Literature more or less saved my life.
It was E.
M.
Forster who did it.
I'd never read such articulate,
Sensitive accounts of people's inner thoughts and feelings.
I'd been so lonely,
An only child fighting my parents,
Fighting my teachers,
And suddenly I felt not alone.
Someone years ago had felt what I felt,
Thought what I thought,
Experienced what I'd experienced.
And of course this is what happens in small ways too when we read a story.
Often it returns us to ourselves.
It seems to remind us about something,
In the same way a good meditation might do.
E.
M.
Forster was all about connection and in particular connection between people of different classes,
Races,
Religions,
And backgrounds.
Only connect,
He said.
The world today would do well to listen to him.
So in the UK at 3 p.
M.
Every Christmas day we have a speech by our monarch and for years and years of course it's been the Queen's speech but more recently it's been the King's speech.
Well I feel a little bit like the Queen sitting here reading a message to you,
Though I hope it doesn't feel like that to you.
Thank you again dear friends.
I wish you all the best for now and 2026.
I hope to see you very soon.
